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Tired of tourists
powering up batteries for hours, cafe owner Galina Pokorny has
introduced a 1 euro ($1.06) fee for those who plug in their
mobiles for too long.
"Tourists - always electricity, electricity, electricity. Sorry
but who is going to pay me for it?" said Pokorny, owner of the
Terrassencafe im Hundertwasserhaus - located inside a colorful
patchwork of apartments designed by artist and architect
Friedensreich Hundertwasser.
Customers who charge up during a 15-minute coffee can still do
so for free, she said. An hour, however, is beyond the pale.
"I run a cafe, not an internet cafe," she said, adding that she
knew of no other cafes that levy a similar charge.
"It's getting more and more extreme. People come and think
everything is accessible and free... You don't even open your
eyes in the morning for free."
Pokorny introduced the charge last year, she said, but it gained
attention on Wednesday when tabloid Oesterreich published the
"bizarre bill" one of its reporters was presented with,
featuring the 1 euro charge for "electricity".
The fee also applies to laptops and tablets, and for those using
more than one outlet is multiplied by the number of devices
plugged in. Disgruntled customers can take some comfort from the
fact that wireless internet access is still free.
(Reporting by Francois Murphy; editing by John Stonestreet)
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